Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention generally relates to the field of respiratory or inhalation therapy and, more particularly, to a respiratory delivery system which includes a portable inhaler and a recharging unit which may be used to recharge both the power and medicament supply of the portable inhaler.
Many types of medicaments are delivered by inhalation for treating/addressing various types of conditions. Three general types of inhalers may be used for this type of xe2x80x9crespiratory therapy.xe2x80x9d Metered dose inhalers (xe2x80x9cMDIsxe2x80x9d) are relatively small, portable units which have a medicament disposed within a container of a pressurized gas or propellant (e.g. mixture of medicament and propellant). The patient typically pushes down on this container to direct a xe2x80x9cburstxe2x80x9d of a mixture of propellant and medicament into the patient""s mouth during an inhalation, the propelling xe2x80x9cburstxe2x80x9d being provided by the pressure within the container. A fixed number of doses are available in a given MDI. When all of the medicament has been dispensed from the container, typically the MDI or at least the container of medicament/propellant is discarded.
Another categorical type of inhaler is a nebulizer. These types of inhalers are not as portable as an MDI, and are more commonly used in a clinic or hospital setting. Generally, a nebulizer houses an appropriate medicament in liquid form. Gas from an external source is directed through an appropriate line under pressure and into the nebulizer to aerosolize the medicament for transport to,the patient for delivery by inhalation. At the end of the treatment or upon the consumption of all of the liquid medicament in the nebulizer, and typically after a sterilization procedure, additional liquid medicament may be poured into the nebulizer for subsequent treatments.
The third general type of inhaler has a degree of portability which is similar to that of the MDI, but which uses sources other than an external supply of pressurized gas to generate droplets of the desired medicament. Some inhalers of this type use a small xe2x80x9con-boardxe2x80x9d source of pressurized gas to aerosolize a liquid medicament. Other inhalers use piezoelectric crystals and the like to aerosolize a liquid medicament in some manner. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,841 to Voges, entitled xe2x80x9cDispenser,xe2x80x9d discloses another inhaler of this general categorical type, but which uses a xe2x80x9cdroplet on demandxe2x80x9d ejection device to generate droplets of medicament in a desired manner (e.g., a piezoelectric device of the kind used in ink jet printing or a thermal xe2x80x9cbubble jetxe2x80x9d device of the kind used in inkjet printing). The cartridge of medicament in the inhaler from U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,841 may be replaced after its medicament has been consumed or spent.
What are more typically viewed as non-medical devices have also been available for some time to deliver nicotine. Typically these devices at least attempt to simulate the appearance of a cigarette and provide a certain amount of nicotine. Known devices of this type are either designed to be disposable or to allow replacement of the nicotine cartridges/containers used thereby.
The present invention is embodied in a respiratory delivery system which has xe2x80x9crechargexe2x80x9d capabilities. In this regard, the subject respiratory delivery system generally includes typically one or more portable inhalers and a recharging unit. Having multiple portable inhalers allows one portable inhaler to be undergoing a recharge via the recharging unit while at least one other portable inhaler is available for use. Components of the portable inhaler include an inhaler housing, a container with an appropriate flowable substance disposed therein (e.g., a medicament in liquid and/or powder in a suspension), and an inhaler outlet of some sort. Flowable substance from the container is directed through the inhaler outlet for discharge into the mouth or nose of an individual who is using the portable inhaler. The inhaler outlet need not be in constant fluid communication with the flowable substance container. Typically the inhaler outlet will be in the form of some type of a mouthpiece or the like for oral delivery, or a nose piece for nasal delivery, of the flowable substance from the portable inhaler to the individual which is using the portable inhaler (e.g., in the form of the xe2x80x9ctipxe2x80x9d of a cigarette).
The recharging unit includes an inhaler docking station and a flowable substance recharging system. The flowable substance recharging system of the recharging unit includes a flowable substance recharging reservoir and a flowable substance recharging fixture which interfaces with the flowable substance container of the portable inhaler when the portable inhaler is disposed at the docking station of the recharging unit. Flowable substance from the flowable substance recharging system thereby may be directed from the flowable substance recharging reservoir of the recharging unit, through the flowable substance recharging fixture of the recharging unit, and into the flowable substance container of the portable inhaler when the portable inhaler is xe2x80x9cdockedxe2x80x9d at the recharging unit.
Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to the present invention. Further features may also be incorporated in the present invention as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. With regard to the portable inhaler, its inhaler housing may be configured to a least generally approximate a configuration and size of a cigarette. Another way of characterizing the inhaler housing is as a cylinder having a length of approximately 85 mm and a diameter of approximately 10 mm.
The inhaler housing may include at least one inhaler inlet through which air may be drawn into the inhaler housing. One way of characterizing this inhaler inlet(s) is relative to the position of the inhaler outlet of the portable inhaler. Consider the case where the inhaler housing has first and second ends (e.g., the above-noted cylindrical configuration). The inhaler outlet may be disposed at and/or define the second end of the inhaler housing, and each inhaler inlet may be disposed closer to the second end of the inhaler housing than its first end. In one embodiment, the first end of the inhaler housing, or that end of the inhaler housing which is opposite that which includes the inhaler outlet, may be closed. Therefore, the inhaler inlet(s) may be disposed on a sidewall of the inhaler housing of sorts versus on one of its ends.
A plurality of inhaler inlets may be utilized for the portable inhaler, and these inhaler inlets may be disposed about the inhaler housing in at least substantially equally, radially spaced relation. Consider the case where the inhaler housing is in the form of a cylinder as noted above. Each adjacent pair of inhaler inlets may be separated by an equal angular spacing which would be measured relative to a central, longitudinal axis about which this cylinder is formed. The noted plurality of inhaler inlets may also take the form of air intake slots. Each of these air intake slots may have a longitudinal extent which is at least generally parallel with a longitudinal extent of the inhaler housing.
The flowable substance container of the portable inhaler may be sized so as to hold no more than about 50 doses. A xe2x80x9cdosexe2x80x9d for purposes of the present invention is an amount of the flowable substance which is provided to an individual using the portable inhaler during one inhalation. This emphasizes the desirability of having flowable substance recharging capabilities for the respiratory delivery system via the recharging unit. In this regard, the flowable substance recharging reservoir of the recharging unit may be sized to hold multiple refill doses of the flowable substance in accordance with the definition presented above (e.g., so as to be available for xe2x80x9crefillingxe2x80x9d the portable inhaler(s) on multiple occasions; in one embodiment within a range of about 150 doses to about 3,000 doses in accordance with the above definition).
The portable inhaler may include a droplet ejection device which is fluidly interconnected with the flowable substance container for dispensing the flowable substance in the form of a plurality of droplets to an individual which is using the portable inhaler. This droplet ejection device may include a plurality of actuators and a plurality of discharge orifices, with each discharge orifice having its own actuator. Droplet ejection devices of this type for inhaler applications are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,841 to Voges, which issued Apr. 20, 1999, and the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. In one embodiment, the droplet ejection device may be characterized as including at least one discharge orifice and at least one actuator, and in yet another embodiment may be characterized as having at least one actuator, with each such actuator having at least one discharge orifice associated therewith. Other types of droplet ejection devices or ways of generating droplets could be utilized by the portable inhaler in relation to the present invention, including a single piezoelectric structure which, when activated, would simultaneously discharge a plurality of droplets through a plurality of discharge orifices or the like (e.g., a solid diaphragm/plate with a plurality of orifices extending therethrough, a porous membrane). Passive droplet ejection devices could be used as well, or those which are xe2x80x9cpoweredxe2x80x9d solely by the inhalation of the individual using the portable inhaler. As such, virtually any type of inhaler may be utilized in relation to the present invention.
Power recharge capabilities may be provided by the present invention in addition to the flowable substance recharging capabilities noted above. The portable inhaler may include a first power supply and recharging contacts which are electrically interconnected therewith. These recharging contacts need not be in constant electrical communication with the first power supply, although such is preferred. The noted first power supply may be used to activate a droplet ejection device(s) which may be used by the portable inhaler to propel a flowable substance through one or more discharge orifices in some manner. Other components of the portable inhaler could be powered by the first power supply as well. An appropriate indicator of the power level of the first power supply of the portable inhaler may also be utilized by the portable inhaler for providing corresponding information to a user thereof. Any such power level indicator could provide an indication of the power remaining in the first power supply of the portable inhaler, or could simply be a two-state device which would simply indicate that there was either sufficient or insufficient power for proper operation of the inhaler.
Recharging of the first power supply for the portable inhaler may be provided by a power recharging system of the recharging unit. The noted power recharging system of the recharging unit may interface with the recharging unit""s inhaler docking station and may include a second power supply and a power recharging fixture. The second power supply of the recharging unit may be rechargeable as well, such as by plugging the recharging unit into an appropriate electrical outlet. An appropriate indicator of the power level of the type noted for the first power supply of the portable inhaler may be used for the second power supply of the recharging unit as well. When the portable inhaler is disposed at the docking station of the recharging unit, the power recharging fixture of the recharging unit interfaces with the recharging contacts of the portable inhaler so as to allow the second power supply of the recharging unit to recharge the first power supply of the portable inhaler. Preferably, both the flowable substance and power for the portable inhaler are simultaneously recharged when the inhaler is docked at the recharging unit, although each could be done individually and/or independent of each other. Moreover, preferably the recharging unit includes an appropriate xe2x80x9crecharging completexe2x80x9d indicator or the like.
The droplet ejection device which may be included in the portable inhaler may be electrically interconnected with the first power supply as noted above. This droplet ejection device may include a controller (e.g., printed circuit board) which may also be electrically interconnected with this first power supply. The portable inhaler may also include one or more electronic memories which may be powered by the first power supply as well, and further which may be characterized as actually being part of the noted controller. Activation of the droplet ejection device may be via a switch (e.g., manually by an individual activating the switch on the portable inhaler), or via an inhalation sensor (e.g., automatically via the inhalation sensor applying power to an appropriate circuit of a controller for the portable inhaler). Devices of this type may be electrically interconnected with the first power supply of the portable inhaler as well.
The docking station of the recharging unit may be in the form of a receptacle which at least generally approximates a contour of the portable inhaler housing when the portable inhaler is docked at the recharging unit. One appropriate configuration for the inhaler housing of the portable inhaler is cylindrical as noted above. In this case, the receptacle which defines the inhaler docking station may also then be in the form of a cylinder. Docking of the portable inhaler to the recharging unit may then entail directing the portable inhaler along an axial path relatively toward the recharging unit, while removal of the portable inhaler from the recharging unit may entail directing the portable inhaler relatively away from the recharging unit along an axial path, and thereby in the opposite direction from the docking operation. Features may be implemented to protect the portable inhaler when docked to the recharging unit (e.g., to protect from mechanical damage and/or contamination of some type), such as by enclosing the portable inhaler within the recharging through use of a sliding door or the like over the above-noted receptacle.
The recharging unit housing may be sized to a least generally approximate a package of cigarettes for purposes of portability and to account for the limited number of doses which may be made available in the portable inhaler. In one embodiment, the recharging unit occupies a space having a volume of no more than about 100 cc. The docking station of the recharging unit may also be configured so as to accept only a single portable inhaler (e.g., incorporating a lock out system to take only a specific inhaler), to reduce the potential for tampering with the recharging unit and the portable inhaler when docked thereto, and/or to reduce the potential for cross-filling between different portable inhalers. This may be used to prevent multiple portable inhalers from being recharged by the same recharging unit and/or to otherwise present misuse of the portable inhaler. Relatedly, access security componentry may be utilized in relation to the recharging unit and/or any portable inhaler associated therewith.
The flowable substance recharging reservoir of the recharging unit may be pressurized to provide for medicament rechargings, although a pump(s) or capillary action could also be utilized for transferring medicament to the portable inhaler when docked to the recharging unit. In the case of the pressure-based fluid transfer technique, this pressure may be isolated from the flowable substance recharging fixture by an appropriate valve or the like until recharging is desired. Having this valve in one position may isolate the flowable substance recharging reservoir from the associated flowable substance recharging fixture of the recharging unit, while having this valve in another position may allow flowable substance from the flowable substance recharging reservoir to flow to the flowable substance recharging fixture. Movement of this isolation valve of sorts between these two positions may be affected by docking the portable inhaler at the docking station of the recharging unit. For instance, a xe2x80x9csnap-lockxe2x80x9d mechanism may be used to dock the portable inhaler to the recharging unit, and to in turn to simultaneously establish/maintain fluid communication between the flowable substance recharging reservoir of the recharging unit and the flowable substance container of the portable inhaler. Removal of the portable inhaler from the docking station of the recharging unit in turn may automatically move any such valve back to its isolating position. This same type of valving arrangement could possibly be utilized if other fluid transfer techniques are utilized.
The flowable substance recharging fixture of the recharging unit may include a recharging needle. This recharging needle may penetrate the flowable substance container of the portable inhaler to establish fluid communication between the flowable substance recharging reservoir of the recharging unit and flowable substance container of the portable inhaler. Including a septum or the like may allow for this penetration during recharging and establishment of an appropriate sealing engagement between the recharging unit and the flowable substance container of the portable inhaler. However, including an absorbent pad for the flowable substance recharging fixture may be desirable to account for any small leakages which may occur.
The portable inhaler may include an electronic memory as noted, and which would typically be powered by the first power supply of the portable inhaler. Data on the use of the portable inhaler may be recorded to this electronic memory. Downloading of this data to one or more electronic memories associated with the recharging unit may be affected (e.g., automatically) when the portable inhaler is docked at the recharging unit. One or more appropriate data ports may be provided on the recharging unit to allow this data to in turn be downloaded to an external computer as well. One or more appropriate data ports could also be provided on the portable inhaler to allow information stored on any electronic memory associated therewith to be directly downloaded to an external computer as well. For cases when the portable inhaler includes a programmable controller or the like (e.g., for controlling a droplet ejection device), this external computer also may be used to transfer information to the recharging unit via an appropriate communications port, and then to the portable inhaler when docked to the recharging unit, to alter or change one or more parameters associated with the operating protocol of the portable inhaler. Relatedly, the recharging unit may be operatively interconnectable with a PDA (personal digital assistant), a cell phone, or the like to utilize the power and/or communication capabilities of the same. For instance, the recharging unit could be configured to establish communication with a remote monitoring station of some sort on any type of basis (e.g., periodically, when the portable inhaler was not removed from the recharging unit at a time for a required dosing) to transmit various types of information, either through the above-noted PDA or cell phone, or alternatively through communication capabilities which may be incorporated into the design of the recharging unit itself.
Further functionality may be incorporated into any electronic memory which is associated with the recharging unit. For instance, information regarding the insertion of the portable inhaler within the recharging unit (e.g., a docking operation) and extraction of the portable inhaler from the the recharging unit may be recorded on any such memory utilized by the recharging unit (e.g., an identification code associated with the subject portable inhaler so as to specifically identify the same where more than one portable inhaler may be used with the recharging unit, the time and date the subject portable inhaler was removed/extracted from the recharging unit, the time and date the subject portable inhaler was re-docked at the recharging unit). Other types of information may be recorded on any electronic memory utilized by the recharging unit, such as the amount of medicament and/or power remaining in the recharging unit for recharging the associated portable inhaler(s) associated therewith.